The morning started punctually at 10.00am with candidates performing all patterns up to their current grade in pairs before the examiners. Once all candidates had performed their patterns, they proceeded to follow the examiners' instructions for Kicking Drills.

The next part of the grading consisted of set sparring in pairs involving Three-Step, Two-Step and One-Step Sparring. Candidates were then asked to demonstrate routines involving grabs, releases and counter-attacks. This section of the grading concluded with Foot Sparring.

Candidates then moved on to demonstrate to the examiners, their ability to control and perform techniques correctly in the context of Free Sparring including 1 vs 1, 2 vs 1 and 3 vs 1.

The final physical part of the grading was Destruction. The breaking techniques selected by the examiners included jumping turning kick, jumping reverse turning kick, jumping back kick, knifehand strike and forefist punch.

The day concluded at 2.00pm with Theory, both in the form of a written paper and an oral examination.

In order to uphold Total TKD's high standard of Black Belts, the pass mark for the grading was set at 60%.

Impressively, all ten candidates were successful in passing the grading. The following Total TKD students were promoted as follows:

• Harpreet K. Chhokar - 3rd Dan
• Harry Mansbridge - 2nd Dan
• Lily-May Symonds - 1st Dan
• Darren Maunders - 1st Dan
• Sam Maunders - 1st Dan
• Mark Dresh - 1st Dan

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The grading took place at Southgate TKD School with members from Finchley, Wood Green, Hadley Wood, Stoke Poges, Oakwood and Southgate taking part. The general standard of the grading was good with some students performing to a very high standard. At the end of the grading Mr Symonds gave feedback to the group, pointing out some of the common mistakes and gave advice on how to improve.

Thank you to Mr Shah, Mr Ayman, Miss Griffith, Miss Chokkar, Mr Sampath and Mr Parmar for their help on the day.

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We are pleased to announce that all students meddled with the following results:

• Flynn Potter - Junior green belt sparring bronze
• Barry Heath - Teenager red belt sparring gold
• Maria Heath - Veteran colour belt sparring
• Nick Potter - Adult green belt sparring gold

Well done to all.

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The day kicked off with Mr Symonds welcoming the competitors and spectators to the event. Mr Symonds then went on to introduce the Officials who would be responsible for ensuring the day ran smoothly.

Before the competition was officially under way, the competitors and spectators watched a demonstration by two of Total TKD's Junior Black Belts, Vishal Parmar (I Dan) and Harry Mansbridge (I Dan). This opportunity enabled the competitors to familiarise themselves with the rules and procedure of events which would soon follow.

The competition began with the Patterns events taking place first on both the rings. All competitors were given a chance to compete in their own categories, by age and grade. The standard was high throughout all the categories. Two students who performed particularly well on the day were Maia Harrison and Adam Safi.

The competition then moved on to the Sparring events. The atmosphere was tense but also exciting with all matches being fought in good spirit by the competitors. The audience saw some close bouts demonstrating the outstanding technical ability of some students. One student who put on a remarkably brave performance was Flynn Potter who despite being one of the smallest competitors in his category, went on to win gold in his division.

The day was almost over but it would not have been complete without the Special Technique event, which was Flying High Kick. The competitors were split into categories and made some brave efforts. The winners managed to reach some astonishing heights.

The competition came to an end with the medal ceremony. All students left pleased with their performances and those who did not do as well as they hoped, left with the motivation and determination to do better next time.

Thank you to all the competitors who took part, the Officials for assisting throughout the day and of course, Mr Symonds for organising the event.

See you at the next Interclub Competition in June!

Results from this competition can now be viewed here.

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Having a lot of government sponsorship and exterior help, I was shown a very professional and sharply organised day. This included a standard WTF regulated fight in front of a panel the teams coaches and athletes followed by a series of physical tests and a sport profile of each athlete. Having competed quite extensively I was rather impressed when the day finished with 5 minutes to spare, as from most competitions it would be a few hours after with the exceptions of the Total TKD inter clubs! I was recently informed that I'd made it to Phase 3 and so I am excited to go to manchester again to give this other side of Taekwon-do another look ...Less

Having jointly taught the seminar along side Nathan Smith, it was great to see some new faces from our adjoining clubs. The spirits were high and the willingness impeccable even when asked to drag each others dead weight from one end to the other and again. There was a lot of focus on basic principles both technical and physical, be it how to perform a front snap kick to the emphasis on basic stretching which is a simple way to progress in Taekwon-do. All in all it very good learning experience for both pupils and teachers and something which will be greatly looked forward to for next time. The level of commitment towards the class was very encouraging. ...Less

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The following students were promoted to 9th Kup with a 'High Pass': Simran Sadhra, Humza Hussain and Tayub Hussain.

The following students were promoted to 9th Kup with an 'Average Pass': Zeyna Shaukat, George Worland, Gurjia Bhullar, Ravneek Bhullar and Ruben Lall.

Fortunately, no students passed with a 'Low Pass' or failed.

Congratulations to all students!

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The session was designed to assess those students who are eligible for the upcoming Black Belt grading in April. It consisted of lessons in self defence techniques, release and counter and step sparring.

At the end of the session, each student received individual feedback on their patterns from Mr Symonds and Miss Wilson. All students left the session with something to work towards and feeling positive.

One student particularly worthy of mention is Miss Marcia Griffith who due to personal circumstances took her actual grading for 3rd Degree on the day. Miss Griffith most deservingly passed her grading with flying colours.

On behalf of all the students who attended, I would like to thank Mr Symonds for organising this session for us. I am certain that what we learnt from it will be invaluable to us in April.

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Sensei Nartey has attended several local, national and Olympic championships worldwide including Olympic 2012 London. As a result of a dynamic Judo career, Sensei Nartey has written a book providing a great insight to his development called 'My Olympic Dream' which was released 27th January 2013.

www.amazon.co.uk/MY-OLYMPIC-DREAM-ebook/dp/B00B6Q3X7Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359326083&sr=1-2

Instructor Malik Ayman was invited to watch the Master Class and granted an exclusive 10 minute 10 questions with the Olympic Judo Sensei Emmanuel Nartey. Thank You Sensei Nartey for your invitation to attend your Master Class and view an insight to Bath Judo Team.

1) When did you first realise the Olympics 2012 was a possibility for? Whilst competing in 2005 Championship in Egypt the opportunity to compete against the current world champion happened, I knew then that at that stage I could take this further.

2) How does competing at the Olympics compare to other Judo events local and national? Most important aspects that you have to get right are with yourself making sure that you are both mentally and physically fit to fight. The Olympics is totally different as you have millions of people watching you and that is maximum pressure. The ability to be able to deal with the pressure requires enormous mental toughness and focus.

3) Why did you choose to write the book 'My Olympic Dream'? Inspire the next generation, it's so important to have vision & a dream of what you want to achieve, always giving your maximum effort. That is the message behind writing the book which covers my entire journey.

4) Its 2013 now, does 2012 seem like a lifetime ago? Is 2016 Brazil on the agenda? 2012 Olympics still feels like yesterday it's an experience one can never forget for a lifetime. I'm now focusing on the 2014 competitions at the moment.

5) Judo means 'the gentle way' as in 'gentle way to overcome someone', what is your thought process in your head when whilst competing? Competing to win and respecting my opponent. Discipline is fundamental.

6) What are the most common misunderstandings of Martial Arts? The biggest I find are first respect, second discipline and third the ability to focus.

7) What was the last piece of advice your coach gave you before competing? You've trained hard and this is now it go out and do your best.

8) Do you have a saying or mantra that you use before you compete? Yes, this is it one way no turning back.

9) What three major things did you do in your training that helped you to get to the Olympics 2012? Discipline, Focus and Determination to achieve the objective.

10) Who are your most inspirational people / persons for you and why? My mum as she is a hard working African woman who always sees the hope and how to make something out of nothing.

Sensei Nartey any last words that you can share with me to pass on to my Taekwon-Do students and to others? Have a dream and vision, believe in yourself and know that you will have to fight for it!

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The session focused in detail on the colour belt patterns, with the students having time to work in partners on the application of the techniques. The session then focused on step sparring using the movemenst found in the colour belt patterns culminating in fun competition of traditional sparring.

At the end of the session Mr Symonds thanked those who attended and awarded the newly promoted students with their official ITF degree certificates.

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The day began with an introduction by Mr Symonds and a demonstration of Patterns and Sparring from 2 of our junior Black belts (Vishal Parmar and Daniel Paschalis), which was well received by the audience.

Patterns were soon under way with all grades having a chance to perform on the mats. The standard was good with Mia Harrison and Laura Jones giving an outstanding performance in the Junior Red belt division.

The sparring was next with all matches being fought in a good spirit, again there was a good standard on display with many students showing great ability.

Finally we finished the day with Special Technique which was Flying High Kick; again the students were split into categories and showed great ability with the winners reaching some outstanding heights.

Well done to all that took part and a big thank you for the professional job from the Umpires, referees and organisers.

Look forward to seeing you at the next TotalTKD competition!

Results from this competition can now be viewed here.

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Students and Instructors from all TotalTKD school were in attendance as well as many of the Instructors and senior students. It was a great evening to catch up with members from different clubs and reflect on a successful year for TotalTKD.

Merry Christmas,
Mr N Symonds

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We are pleased to announce that all candidates were successful. The results are as follows:

• Nathan Smith - 2nd degree
• Daniel Pashcallis - 2nd degree
• Aflie Huggard - 1st degree
• Alex Lee - 1st degree
• Vishal Parmar - 1st degree
• Mitesh Mistry - 1st degree
• Dylan Jumar - 1st degree
• Laura Perez-Romero - 1st degree

Well done to all students.

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TotalTKD's team were amongst the 1,600 competitors. The team consisted of Carly Wilson (4th Dan), Malik Ayman (3rd Dan), Morgan Da Silva (3rd Dan), Harpreet Chhokar (2nd Dan), Nathan Smith (1st Dan), Ilja Titov (1st Dan), Harry Mansbridge (1st Dan) and Barry Heath (1st Gup).

The World Cup kicked off on Thursday 4th October 2012 at 9.00am with the official opening ceremony. During the ceremony, Master Orello Ellis from England was promoted to 9th degree with the title of Grand Master. The competition then proceeded to commence with 10 rings fully prepared with electronic scoring systems.

In the first event of the day, TotalTKD's Carly Wilson competed in the Female 4th-6th Dan Patterns. Despite her stunning performance in the first round, she unfortunately lost her second round to the favourite Canadian who went on to win the division.

The second competition day started with a remaining elimination competition of some 60 divisions in patterns and sparring. Some fantastic bouts at a very high standard took place. A special mention goes to TotalTKD's Morgan Da Silva who competed in the Male Black Belt -80kg Sparring. Despite fighting his way through to the third round of his division, it was only narrowly that he lost his last fight.

The third day was dedicated to the individual competitors' finals. The day's events were truly spectacular and inspiring for all watching. The highlight of the finals had to be England's Zak Espi deservedly winning the gold medal for the Male Black Belt +80kg Sparring.

The fourth and final day of the competition was devoted to the team events. Unfortunately, our Mens Black Belt Sparring Team was drawn against the eventual winners, Norway in their first round.

All in all, the World Cup was a fantastic experience and one that none of the TotalTKD team members will forget. We left the competition having learnt a great deal and with a desire to train harder for the next World Cup.

Finally, on behalf of all members of the TotalTKD team, our sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Mr Symonds, Mr G Smith and Miss Wilson for all their efforts in preparing us both mentally and physically for this once in a lifetime experience.

Reported by Harpreet Chhokar

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All Wembley Central students that were present at training on 11th July 2012 demonstrated their respective grade patterns and were given advice and acknowledgment of both good progression and development in their Taekwon-Do skills from Mr Nick Symonds 6th Degree & Ms Marcia Griffith 2nd Degree.

In addition, Zakariya Rashid 2nd Kup Red Belt, currently trains 3 times a week & Satish Jirapure 3rd Kup Blue Belt Red Tag, currently trains twice a week - were both informed by Assistant Instructor Ms Griffith 2nd Degree how proud she was to see with their progression as Ms Griffith 2nd Degree used to assist teaching them both in the initial starting journey in Taekwon-Do.

The training session closed with recently promoted to 8th Kup Yellow Belt junior Omar Khan excellently presenting with a mini speech of appreciation on behalf of all Wembley Central Taekwon-Do Students and Assistant Instructor Malik Ayman 3rd Degree Ð to Mr Nick Symonds 6th Degree a visiting gift of appreciation and thank you for teaching and commitment to the success of Wembley Central Taekwon-Do School.

Assistant Instructor Malik Ayman 3rd Degree

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This spectacular occasion was attended by several students participating in displaying several Tae Kwon Do patterns & techniques to the thousands of residents of Barnet who had turned out on the day to witness the once in a lifetime Olympic Torch flame change hands at Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley on Wednesday 25th July 2012 at 2:30pm.

A big thank you awarded to the following students:

• Zakariya Rashid Ð Red Belt 2nd Kup, Finchley TKD School
• Aaisha Islam Ð Yellow Belt Green Tag 7th Kup, Wood Green TKD School
• Ahmed Mahbub Ð Yellow Belt 8th Kup, Wood Green TKD School
• Hamza Islam Ð White Belt Yellow Tag 9th Kup, Wood Green TKD School
• Catherine Zhu Ð White Belt Yellow Tag 9th Kup Finchley TKD School

The students displayed excellence in Tae Kwon Do skills, confidence, self-belief and discipline. Our Total TKD team presence was welcomed by all of the North Finchley residents who came to witness the Olympic Torch 2012.

Assistant Instructor Malik Ayman 3rd Degree

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The day started with a brief deliverance of thanks to the Founder of Taekwon-Do General Choi Hong Hi 9th Degree, 10 years since his passing in 2002, and the foundation laid out for us as students of Taekwon-Do by General Choi Hong Hi 9th Degree. Then the First Grand Master Rhee Ki Ha 9th Degree continued with a full explanation of the understanding of the development and components of power in techniques, after some fun although strenuous exercises all the Black Belts completed respective grade patterns, with First Grand Master Rhee Ki Ha 9th Degree expanding on the purpose of specific of techniques in patterns.

It was a very interesting and exciting seminar, providing beneficial knowledge to increase my Taekwon-Do learning journey, an absolutely rewarding experience to be with the original pioneer founding father of UK & Ireland Taekwon-Do excellent

Malik Ayman, 3rd degree ...Less

All the participants performed patterns, sparring, pad work, with some of the students performing flying kicks and tile breaks. It was a fun day and we look forward to performing again at next years event.


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